Another year comes to a close at Concord High’s beloved library.

More than 5,060 books were checked out by students, according to librarian Helen Dugan, the most frequent being the YA mystery novel One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus. 

Contemporary fiction was the most popular genre of book this yea. Short story collections attracted the least interest among students based on circulation data.

As many observant students have already noted, the library has an entirely different look following extensive renovations.

New chairs and tables around the library are perfect for those looking to study or read silently. Quiet rooms for group work are open for student use, as is the Maker Space lounge, which offers a 3-D printer and a green screen. 

Based on the Learning Commons Model, the renovation of the library sought to add resources for students. 

 “You’re creating a space with lots of different spaces for students to cooperate,” Dugan said.

One difficulty the library faced during renovation was “making sure people knew they could access the library during the renovation.” 

 The unveiling of the new and improved library this past winter was celebrated by an orientation complete with fun free activities.

“We did a book raffle of over a dozen books,” Dugan said. “We had a student scavenger hunt, a 3-D printing tutorial, and a smarties guessing jar.” 

Additional resources, including databases useful for projects and research papers, are available online at the school library website.

Books are available year round at all hours of the day and night, so those languishing in the summer heat this coming vacation break can check out a wide variety of titles using Sora (formerly Overdrive).

The library is open from 7:30 am to 3:00 pm everyday in case you want to swing by!